Re: Chukars in Oakland Hills
Sat, 14 Dec 2002
09:25:25 -0800 (PST)
From: John Harris
Tom et al.,
Last Wednesday, while doing my usual morning walk on the Dunn Trail, I ran into two people who had, independently, seen the birds you described. These folks walk the area regularly and had not seen them before. I heard some funny sounds around there, but did not see them. I suspect they are recently released or escaped.
John H. Harris
Biology Department
Mills College, Oakland, CA
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Contra Costa Christmas Bird Count
Sat, 14
Dec 2002 21:07:05 PST
From: Steve Glover
Hi all,
The Contra Costa Christmas Bird Count was conducted today in heroically atrocious weather. The preliminary total of just 140 was the lowest in a long time with misses that included Brown Creeper and Northern Pintail (!!!). Highlights that I am aware of included returning Chipping Sparrow at Hidden Lakes Park, Martinez, Long-eared Owl on the Concord Naval Weapons Station, Swamp Sparrow along Waterfront Rd, and Barrow's Goldeneye and Surf Scoter on Mallard Reservoir.
The owl and 2 ducks are on private property but anyone wishing to try for the Swamp Sparrow can do the following: Take Hwy 680 north to Marina Vista (last exit before the toll plaza) and turn right (east). Continue a couple of miles to a guard shack and tell them you want to go birding. Continue on all the way to the fence at the end of the road. The Swamp Sparrow was calling when we found it at 7:10 AM and then went down and fed on the side of the road. Listen for its sharp little call note that many think resembles a Black Phoebe.
Kudos to those who ventured out into the tempest!
Steve Glover
Dublin
Short-eared Owl at Coyote Hills Regional Park
Sun, 15 Dec 2002 18:28:39 -0800
From: Derek Heins
I chaperoned my daughter's 4th grade class to Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont on Thursday and, while the kids were crowded around the Ohlone structures near the main road, a Short-eared Owl suddenly flew out from less than twenty feet away, shot by the kids and flew into the woods about a hundred yards away. The children were impressed by the owl's size, especially its wingspan. The only other unusual sighting was three American Pipits at the top of one of the hills, which was the first time I've seen them so far from water.
Derek Heins
Piedmont
Christmas Bird Count highlights, Area 7, Alviso
Sun, 15 Dec 2002 18:36:17 -0800
From: Kris Olson
Hello Birders,
I got to join some seasoned Christmas Bird Counters, Elaine and Don Dvorak, today to explore Area 7 in Alviso - which turns out to be in Alameda County. It runs on the west side of Hwy 880 from the end of Fremont Blvd on the south side up to Cushing on the north and extends west to the channel/river that is there. At the north and south ends, there is some "open space" (at the south end it's the old Fremont airport, now under early construction phases) that we were able to drive and walk around. The rest of the area is office space that runs between Hwy 880 and the river/channel.
Highlights:
15 Wilson's Snipe in the channel along Hwy 880 and Lakeview/Fremont
1 Red-shouldered Hawk, same location
1 Spotted Sandpiper, same location
1 Prairie Falcon and 1 Peregrine Falcon at the north end of our range (actually, probably into Area 4 on the Count)
1 Loggerhead Shrike (may have been in Area 4)
Other birds of which there were few, we have no idea if these are unusual for the area, many of these from the office/industrial area:
1 Double-crested Cormorant
1 female Bufflehead
2 White-tailed Kites
9+ Turkey Vultures (we found their roost in the industrial area and an area of beach they seem to use)
1 Say's Phoebe
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Northern Flicker
2 Downy Woodpeckers and 1 Nuttall's Woodpecker
many Yellow-rumped Warblers
1 Lincoln's Sparrow
In total we saw 62 species.
Kris Olson